Videogames

Videogames have been a major hobby of mine since a very early age, and I’ve owned a system from most of the big names at some point in time. Yes, I know they’re still seen by some (mostly the ill-informed media, and Daily Mail readers) as kid’s toys, or the hobby of spotty teenage loners. But that’s been a long way from the truth for quite some time, and I’m proud to say I am a gamer!

Currently, I’m gaming on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable (PSN ID: Paranoimia) and Xbox 360 (Gamertag: Paranoimia UK).

What do I play?

I consider myself to have a fairly wide-ranging taste in games. My favourite genre is probably Action/Adventure (the Uncharted series, inFAMOUS, Tomb Raider etc.), followed by Survival Horror (Resident Evil, Dead Space), and then FPS games (Killzone, Resistance, Battlefield Bad Company, Medal of Honor). Racing games also tend to be quite high on my list, with Gran Turismo, Burnout and Motorstorm among my favourites in the genre. And I mustn’t forget others like Ratchet & Clank or Jak & Daxter, either. Other than that, I also enjoy some of the more ‘unusual’ games like EyePet, Heavy Rain and so on.

I’m not generally a fan of sports games, other than football – I tend to buy FIFA or Pro Evo every year, depending on which I consider to be the best at the time. I’m also not keen on most strategy games, and developed a hatred of RPG games after playing Final Fantasy VII on the original PlayStation. Having said that, I loved Fallout 3, so perhaps it’s better to say I dislike Japanese RPGs – they’re just a little too bizarre for me.

I’m also in a gaming clan – the Yuuzhan Vong – with a few friends. It’s not a ‘professional’ clan by any means. Small, friendly and fairly casual. I also currently run another site, where clan members meet to plan meetings and discuss our exploits. You can read more about the clan over at Vong Nation.

Fan or Fanboy?

You’ll have noticed a lot of PlayStation exclusive titles listed above, and I will readily admit that I do have a strong preference for Sony’s consoles. That’s not out of any particular loyalty to Sony (though I do like their stuff), but more due to the fact that – for my tastes – they have always provided the better exclusive games.

That said, have a look at my gaming history, and you’ll see that I’ve not been averse to buying other consoles. It all depends on whether I think they’ll get enough use to justify the cost. After all, gaming isn’t a cheap hobby.

So, fan or fanboy? You’ll have to decide for yourself. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a preference, nothing more. As I always say: A fanboy likes a system because he owns it; a fan owns a system because he likes it.